Suicide and the Internet
Encyclopedia
Suicide and the Internet have increasingly important relationships as Internet
use becomes more ubiquitous. Several Internet suicide
s have occurred, and issues involving suicide and social media have gained some attention. A survey has found that suicide-risk individuals who went online for suicide-related purposes, compared with online users who did not, reported greater suicide-risk symptoms, were less likely to seek help, and perceived less social support. Jurisdiction
al hindrances have sometimes prevented governments from effectively restricting pro-suicide sites and sites that describe suicide methods
. An Israel
i site, SAHAR, sought to prevent suicide by providing supportive conversations and referrals to help resources. There is some concern in the medical community that certain suicide methods described on the Internet, that can be easily found by searching for terms such as "suicide," "suicide methods," "suicide sure methods," "most effective methods of suicide," "methods of suicide," "ways to commit suicide," "how to commit suicide," "how to kill yourself," "easy suicide methods," "best suicide methods," "pain-free suicide," or "quick suicide," are potentially more lethal than methods people might otherwise consider.
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
use becomes more ubiquitous. Several Internet suicide
Internet suicide
An Internet suicide is a suicide conducted in full view of the public via the Internet, or pursuant to a cybersuicide pact, which is a suicide pact made between individuals who meet on the Internet.- Background :...
s have occurred, and issues involving suicide and social media have gained some attention. A survey has found that suicide-risk individuals who went online for suicide-related purposes, compared with online users who did not, reported greater suicide-risk symptoms, were less likely to seek help, and perceived less social support. Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to administer justice within a defined area of responsibility...
al hindrances have sometimes prevented governments from effectively restricting pro-suicide sites and sites that describe suicide methods
Suicide methods
A suicide method is any means by which one or more persons purposely kill themselves. Suicide methods can be classified according to two modes of interrupting life processes: physical or chemical. Physical modes of interruption typically act by incapacitating the respiratory system or the central...
. An Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i site, SAHAR, sought to prevent suicide by providing supportive conversations and referrals to help resources. There is some concern in the medical community that certain suicide methods described on the Internet, that can be easily found by searching for terms such as "suicide," "suicide methods," "suicide sure methods," "most effective methods of suicide," "methods of suicide," "ways to commit suicide," "how to commit suicide," "how to kill yourself," "easy suicide methods," "best suicide methods," "pain-free suicide," or "quick suicide," are potentially more lethal than methods people might otherwise consider.